The Ruin Of Nová Roma

Here at Antiquiet, one of our main goals is to turn people on to great artists flying under the radar who would otherwise be easy to miss. The retro reviews feature was set up to make sure we’d have a way to shine the spotlight on all of these bands, without having to worry about any of it being “old news” to anyone.

So today I want to talk about a UK based band called Taint, whose 2005 album The Ruin Of Nová Roma will forever have a place on my iPod.

When I first saw their name (likely on some “illegal” torrent site), I figured they had to be some silly, obnoxious crust punk band. I’m not sure what made me look closer, but I was shocked to find an extremely mature hardcore sludge / ‘stoner’ metal band (perhaps I’m splitting hairs), along the lines of Neurosis and Isis, but with much more energy, richer dynamics, and sharper teeth. Imagine Converge crossed with Circa Survive, sans whine.

Another way to describe them would be to say they’re what Refused would sound like now if they stayed together.

Sadly, all the live videos of them on YouTube are of horrible quality. But they have some great songs on MySpace, including a BBC Radio One live version of Nová Roma standout track Drunken Marksman, and their LPs can be found on iTunes.

Also, since a band like Taint could only benefit from the “illegal” distribution or broadcast of their music, I’m going to do everyone a favor and drop one track, entitled Zealots & Whores into your ears like so:

They released a follow-up to Nová Roma last year, entitled Secrets & Lies. It’s not quite as accessible as their first album, and as such I haven’t yet found the time to dig in and form a strong opinion one way or another. In the meantime though, I recommend you at least give Nová Roma a chance, if you like any of the more well-known bands I’ve mentioned here.

Kevin "Skwerl" Cogill was taught programming by his Mother's pot dealer at age ten. His career in music started with a New Jersey ticket scalping agency at fourteen, followed by graphic design gigs after graduating trade school in 1998. In 2003, he moved from Philadelphia to Los Angeles to escape warrants, only to be arrested by the FBI for leaking 'Chinese Democracy.'